COLUMBUS—Those who were paying really close attention as William Buford spoke following Ohio State’s 83-67 destruction of Illinois caught the senior in a moment of honest evaluation of his recent play for the Buckeyes. It didn’t last long. He spoke rapidly and he did not repeat himself as the discussion continued. It didn't hurt to have an iPhone recorder to reexamine the record, just to be certain what he said.

In Saturday’s loss at Michigan, Buford admitted, he was “rushing my shots.” And why was he rushing his shots? “I wasn’t getting shots, so I felt I just needed to throw something up.”

And that’s pretty much what it looked like. It’s what Buford’s game has looked like for much of February. Over the half-dozen games prior to Tuesday night’s meeting with the Illini, the penultimate home game of Buford’s four-year career, he shot 39.5 percent from the field.

As he was asked more about that slump, Buford at first insisted coach Thad Matta merely had told him, “Just play my game. He doesn’t really say too much.” And then Buford continued, revealing more, that Matta had asked him to attempt better shots, which Buford did against Illinois. "I was just trying to pass up good shots for great shots.”

MORE FROM SPORTING NEWS

And that’s what it looked like, as well, Tuesday evening against the Illini.

By the time Buford got a decent touch on the ball in the Buckeyes’ halfcourt offense, they already were ahead, 12-4. He came around a high post screen with the ball and room to shoot, but he spotted point guard Aaron Craft wide open in the corner. Craft busted a 3-pointer.

A minute later, Buford surged off a pick-and-roll with a chance to try a floater in the lane, but instead he dumped a bounce pass to Jared Sullinger and helped OSU’s star center earn a couple of free throws.

Buford didn’t shoot or score until the 13:34 mark. And it didn’t matter. Ohio State was doing fine, building a lead that grew as large as 28-8 before even 10 minutes were gone. The Buckeyes made 10 of their first 11 shots.

“It feels real great when we come out and we start scoring at the beginning,” Buford said. “We feel like we’re hard to beat. Our problem is when we’re not making shots. When we need to stay together, that’s when we need to get stops and then start making shots instead of always just feeling good when we start making shots at the beginning.”

FROM SI

It is important to be honest about what transpired here. Quite obviously, the Illini were beaten as they entered the court. Having been annihilated in their most recent game, at Nebraska, they showed no apparent spirit at any point against OSU. They have lost six consecutive games and nine of their past 10.

So the resistance applied to the Buckeyes’ regulars might have been less intense than what they encountered in Monday’s practice session.

It was easier for Buford to be more circumspect about his shot selection because it was easier to do just about everything in this game.

“They are a good team that has had some issues, but I think they have great leadership with Craft,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. “He got them together and they came out and played with great urgency at the start of the game.

Related onSN

“The thing that is so frustrating for me is our defense. It was something that carried us early and gave us a chance to win, and now it is not there. That was my complete message to the kids: There are still games we can win and a lot of things can happen. Unless the pride in our defense changes, nothing is going to change.”

Ohio State made a significant tweak to its rotation to try to improve as it approaches March. Matta played speedy freshman point guard Shannon Scott frequently in tandem with Craft, allowing either to take command of the ball but particularly instructing Scott to push the ball into the break and attack in halfcourt situations off the bounce.

More transition opportunities could make the game less taxing for Sullinger, who has been absorbing more than his share of contact as Big Ten officials choose not to discourage low-post punishment.

However, the most vital component of Ohio State’s assault on another Big Ten championship and perhaps its first Final Four since 2007 is Buford’s discretion as a shooter.

When Matta pulled Buford aside before a timeout in the Michigan game, giving him the kind of personal attention a player rarely gets in the course of those 40 minutes, he instructed him to follow through properly on his shot instead of merely flicking the ball at the goal. Buford referred to it as “sticking to” his shot.

When he is in rhythm, in the flow of the offense, Buford can shoot over tight coverage. When he is shooting off the dribble, with a player in his face, he is most likely to miss.

And when he misses, the Buckeyes suffer. In their five defeats, he has shot 23-of-72 from the field—31.9 percent. In their victories, he is 136-of-294—46.3 percent.

Which is to say nothing of his 2-of-16 performance in last year’s Sweet 16 loss to Kentucky, which ought to have refined his approach to offense but sometimes appears to have had no lasting impact.

“Will is a guy that’s proven over time he can make some difficult shots,” Matta said. “Just have a gauge in your mind of what’s a good one, what’s a great one.”

What makes a shooter great is understanding a good shot isn’t good enough. How many college games does Buford have left to reinforce that lesson? In a sense, as many as he wants.